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I have to agree with kyle on this one. We don't need to re-build. We don't need a young that can't contribute right now. Bledsoe is a GREAT defender. He has a big role on this team. I'd probably take him for a top 5 pick but that's stretching it. Who in this draft is guaranteed to contribute right away more than Bledsoe? Bledsoe still has mad upside too, probably as much as most lottery picks do.

I really like the idea of going after Rudy Gay and if that costs us Bledsoe so be it. If Igudala is really available this time he might be worth Bledsoe too. I just think Iggy is the worst fit here. Especially since he forgot how to shoot FT's last year.

If Memphis is truly looking to move Gay, then the only thing the Clippers can really offer them, in my opinion, is this package:

Bledsoe, Butler, and Gomes for Gay and Cunningham

I don't think anyone else would beat that offer, but I also don't think Memphis would give him up for anything less than that. The only problem is Gay really ties us down financially. He's under contract for 3 more years, with his salary going up each year. Put his large contract next to Paul, Jordan and Griffin (who will eventually get paid), and we'll be hitting the cap limit with just four players in a couple of years.

I guess convincing Paul to sign for a bit less is possible, but Griffin will control the amount of his contract by way of his play on the court. We wouldn't have to worry about this till the end of next year though, and maybe getting a guy like Gay would be motivation for Paul to stay here, regardless of how much he makes.

And this also makes Memphis really freakin' good too. Not sure doing that is such a great thing.

I went ahead and used Allen and Okur cause I think those two would be the best fit at the cheapest price. Not sure our bench would play as well as they did last year but our starters definitely would, and that's more important. And I really think the Clippers should go after T-mac this offseason, regardless if anything happens via trade or not.

I'd pass on Rudy especially if it means trading Bled. He puts up 20 ppg but it seems to always be a quiet 20 points (at least when he plays against us). Rather go for Iggy since he's signed for only a year if I'm not mistaken. Shoot, I'd take a flyer on Josh Smith going back to the 3 than Gay right now. Expensive and ineffective is what I would label Rudy right now.

^^^I said slow down because Bledsoe is a luxury for this team. So to me what you said, was along the line of being a homer. I remember posting a proposal of Fields for Bledsoe earlier this year and people were on board, now to say the only person in the draft worth Bledsoe is Davis..c'mon. Don't get me wrong, I've felt Bledsoe's ceiling was high ever since I watched him in a cats uni. Hell me and the guy are from the same state and his grandfather is friends with my uncle, I'm rooting for him LoL. I'm just saying he is a luxury and if you can deal him to upgrade this team you do it..especially if CP3 signs an extension. If he could be packaged for Rudy Gay you have to do it, but I would hold on to him until CP3 decides on what he's going to do.

it makes no sense for chris paul to sign an extension. he could get A LOT more money if he wait. If we do trade him for someone like gay, it would cripple the teams salary cap.

with chris paul's status being so uncertain, i dont really think bledsoe is that much of a luxury but rather a successor to cp3 if he does leave. the destroyed a lot of their talent pipeline with the cp3 trade. at some point, we need to hold on to some of our young guys. after bledsoe our next young gun is, what, trey or travis? that doesn't make me comfortable.

I'd pass on Rudy especially if it means trading Bled. He puts up 20 ppg but it seems to always be a quiet 20 points (at least when he plays against us). Rather go for Iggy since he's signed for only a year if I'm not mistaken. Shoot, I'd take a flyer on Josh Smith going back to the 3 than Gay right now. Expensive and ineffective is what I would label Rudy right now.

See that's the thing. Him getting a quiet 20 ppg on our team would be a blessing. He's expected to do in Memphis what Chris Paul does for the Clippers. But he's shown that he doesn't have the ability to. So if you put Gay on this team, he'll get his 20, and then he'll let CP3 operate in clutch situations when it matters most, with some occasional plays called for him.

It's just a matter of it being worth it or not. Is getting Gay a bad thing? Not at all. Are there other options the Clippers can explore while retaining all their assets and getting that third wheel scorer? Yeah, of course.

Originally Posted by kylem4711

what you said isn't going to happen though.

it makes no sense for chris paul to sign an extension. he could get A LOT more money if he wait. If we do trade him for someone like gay, it would cripple the teams salary cap.

with chris paul's status being so uncertain, i dont really think bledsoe is that much of a luxury but rather a successor to cp3 if he does leave. the destroyed a lot of their talent pipeline with the cp3 trade. at some point, we need to hold on to some of our young guys. after bledsoe our next young gun is, what, trey or travis? that doesn't make me comfortable.

This is a good point. Retaining Bledsoe may be a priority simply because he'll be the only young guard we'll have if CP3 does decide to bolt. This is why I believe trading Bledsoe for a pick in this year's draft isn't worth the risk. Trading Bled in a package for a guy like Gay on the other hand, is not really a risky move, since we'll be getting back a proven player.

it makes no sense for chris paul to sign an extension. he could get A LOT more money if he wait. If we do trade him for someone like gay, it would cripple the teams salary cap.

with chris paul's status being so uncertain, i dont really think bledsoe is that much of a luxury but rather a successor to cp3 if he does leave. the destroyed a lot of their talent pipeline with the cp3 trade. at some point, we need to hold on to some of our young guys. after bledsoe our next young gun is, what, trey or travis? that doesn't make me comfortable.

How does CP3 get more money by waiting? The way the CBA is set-up is that the clippers can give him more money than any other team. If CP3 re-signs, Bledsoe is not going to be his successor; he's GONE after his rookie deal is up. I don't see him being content to sit behind Paul year after year. Signing DJ & Griffin was holding to some young guys. A franchise must know what guys to keep and what guys to use as assets. If CP3 doesn't plan on staying keep Bledsoe, if Pauls stays then you ship Bledsoe if the deal is right. I actually think Thompkins and Leslie can really benefit from playing with Paul. I can see Leslie developing into a defensive stopper and being able to finish at the rim with the best of them. Thompkins is a very talented offensive player, he's just going to have to get stronger and play stronger as well. Hopefully the organization have the right people in place to develop these guys.

Obviously that team would have chemistry as it's basically the Clippers. Lol

Ariza would give us some more size and athleticism along with a defensive presence. The 10th overall could be used to select a kid like Perry Jones a super long athletic talented kid who could play the 3 or 4.

Doesn't make sense for New Orleans to do that. They're much better off keeping that pick and Ariza. Draft Davis at #1 and draft either Lilliard or Marshall at #10, whichever is available. They have plenty of cap space to still re-sign Kaman, match whatever offer Gordon gets, and they'd have the mid-level to round out the rest of the roster. They'd be a deep team and a potentially dangerous team. And I believe they still have the amnesty clause, so if they wanted to get rid of Ariza, they could just amnesty him.

And also, amnestying Mo Williams could be an option for the Clippers, so New Orleans could just wait to see if we amnesty him and then make a bid for Williams if they wanted. No reason to give up their draft pick.

Some good ideas being kicked around here again finally! I'm glad all 3 or 4 Clipper fans left here agree on Bledsoe. He's worth a ton, and while he wasn't worth much mid season he was one of the best defensive players in the playoffs. Of course our opinions have changed! I love the way Mo and Caron played this season but if we could unload them this offseason it would really help us! Either just for cap space or maybe combine them for a guy like Gay or Iggy. Someone mentioned Josh Smith and honestly I think he may be the best fit of those 3 even as a SF. He could also play the 4 when teams start fouling us. He actually make a lot of sense as I type this.